The Wilmingtonian., 1887-07-02
the SMALL BOYS DAY,
And How lie Celebrates 1t with Fire
and Nuisr.

And How lie NeleDfates II WIN Fre
and Nuisr.
And thu. the editor muses.: Why the fire
cracker. Why, indeed, the stridulous small
boy, who. with ventilated apparel one sus'
pender and unsandard feet, accompanies the
ftccracker in it, olbit of flame! Why
pup AMI iilz on the Fourth more
than any other. Why then more than
any other time doth the small hos
rage aud srnw insolcnt, and touch of
everything that hathno in it, from paper
torpedo to fish horn, and frighten horses
and grt aSlrep on curb,tnmus, and tear IN
trousers aud burn his eyebrows, and do varl'
Gus ytllpr dreadful things for which he has
been called 10 account ever since he cane ~
vogue: What relation has the rccrncker tC
the Declaration Of independence: Or what
the hOlsc frightening, howling small boy
The one is Chinese invention that has nc
earthly ,i-niiicaliun beyond Sputter ani liz
the other las hut faint idea of what The
Declaration he is trying to gloriiN means
lie is. m truth the most absolutely depend
ent creature il nature.
Who sta Ted his combination Of youth and
sultprtrl. nr vocal huirc.oth and the limbs Of
the Jumping lack, Of ir:'e. iizzle and bangs
said something about the ringing of bells, tho
firing ot cannon. ETC. But could he have
taken hi" snail boy into account when lie
said in Did he drram nl the annual nerve
r,tckmg tutmlt he was preparing for future
gcnrratihi-. Had be- ANY iiua that Fourtl
Of July celebrations would 50 generally Y lie car
red on or at least aggravated, by small boys
Of rxtrapriinary hung power and never tai
terimg energy: Impossible. John Adams
was noble man, a patriot, "a statesnGn hut
he was not in all things clallNuNalt. lie
could luJ luu, forward and see the snlal
boy Of lNS1 celebrating tile Fourth ot
july 10 the terror and peril of his
seniors The Toy pistol was not II
vogue in ,luin Adams, day, nor InC
the fra, cracker uutlined q tuuthold on Amer
icun soil pug- Win explosives tied 70 Their
tail, entered not Mi A,laus' i'lea ut celehrat
iug. Nil rhr-p haze com 10 With other mod
rru implements uf torture Gulil We now have
q laN which POWDER and llit small hoy claim
for thciruwM
Nui-r and happiuess, patriot" enthusiasm
aud Chinese crackers are convertible terms
The small boy ,ei2r> the Fourth of July n'
hi, own. and ltston has handed il over tt
him tn,lu ~ be- pl"a~e> with it, lie Is It
afraid That somebody rlr i'll claim even tho
SMALLEST traction ut ia that he bnSin~ 10 taks
pu.s,.,Sinn On tho evening ut the ad He sits
M all night IN order 80 "u>heI in the day
with the loud,'-t rut,rt lie can proiuce,
H. brings nai,r~ 70 the front the
moment the midnight hour arrives
and from that on untiI midnight come
again he accompanies himself with fire,
fame. comrrt.sion and revrrheration. Little
he rerks that hls wind NJ il weaiinc-s, bli>,
terS. muiiIatinn Of lis hody, ami trouble with
his stomach All those things are for hi
elder, to look after and make right
He ha, NOW had over Il century Of Ini- sort
Of thing and shows no signs ot getting tired
of it, And the iir,cracker multiplieS and
grows upnnus lil Tie provincial towns il is
mitigatcd by professions. utitliuns. municipal
demonstrations. lemonade, gingerbread ana
spruce beer But in the city the tirecrackcl
RACES without mitigation.
ThpSt remarks the small boy Will not like.
But the day viii come wllrn hr will admit
the force nt them. That day will he when he
has passed uut vi small buyhuud INTO what ht
nov call, ".ng &i-n, otherwise full grown
and possibly middle aged citizenship. H.
will then occasionally remark that all i
vanity. aye. "vru glory aud tircrlackcI-'
And his sons Nil laugh iu Their >lcrvcs and
rnvui. of lin "a, "thr uu man. aud decide
that Il, ha~ Forgotten hi- &uulh The drw
am, ll9,inlt.~. "t the aa'suul lite viii hr.ovyl
/ lur him. uui with lin wll 80 HI, former
( rlr,r appreciation ot Faurh of July rSpiu
! -iyu- Sulnrtimr, he viii bear himself 70
| tyr,uif f., a- odd Niknl,'-it Wilbiu, l. hi,
#, uI wal atvn him aqnaal uud uu
g.aut % liin,n
.t.l irl, w. n,u lt1r IHttrtl1
I "i l auH lis, ~Inllas.ll. /, 'N
/ .at q wig .tu. it.nHi. IS,
in1- t.pm ~..I r.a
e' .la r.o- i "
.us 5t rrr -Ht -H
.s: -1ir fp HE
usu.,t t'.- 90 -isa -mr,